


Black lips, bloody teeth

by OctoRabbit (FeralFighter)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Drabble Collection, M/M, Minor Character Death, Past Shadam - Freeform, Unconventional vampires, Vampire Shiro, goth keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-05-03 12:40:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14569227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeralFighter/pseuds/OctoRabbit
Summary: There's something insulting about constantly being accused of being a vampire just because you have pale skin and like to wear black. I assure you the rising star of the Voltron Lions indoor soccer team is more likely to be one.Why you ask?Pretty sure the holes in my neck and the fact he's my boyfriend gives me enough cluesA dumping ground of exploration drabbles because I have no idea if I wanted this au to be more downplayed with dumb humor and fluff, or dark and angsty, so why not both in a horrific, inconsistent mess?





	1. Chapter 1

"So got this new guy at work today, can't remember his name but he's annoying as hell, been getting up in my face all day because the poor bastard has the hots for Allura and trying to show me up. Allura's not impressed at all by this fool and tried to ignore him. Kid's freaking jealous like crazy because a little later he's watching us chatting away he just points a finger at me screams vampire at me for the whole shop to hear."

"Oh, you poor thing." Shiro snorted, nuzzling his face into Keith's neck as dexterous fingers made work of the buckle of Keith's choker, peppering the skin underneath with kisses.

"Shut up." Heat rose to his face. "So all this crap happened before lunch and he pissed off for his break, and that hour break was the most peace I had all day. Anyway break's over and this dickhead literally spend the rest of the day throwing 'holy water' at me, shoving garlic in my face, and chasing me with a cross; and to turn insult to injury these two girls were watching this the entire time and did that thing old people do where they think they're whispering but was basically shouting how we're 'cute boyfriends' and just... I'd rather neck myself than deal with that fre- Lance, that's his name! God its like those girls think I have less than no standards. Anyway those creeps finally left and Lance gave up, probably because he didn't have a stake on hand, and just spend the rest of the day whining about how hungry he was because he wasted his break and money on useless junk to expose me instead of eating."

Shiro pulled his head back to look at Keith. "Long day then huh, you're usually not this ranty. I'm sure this Lance guy isn't too bad, just give him time."

"We"ll see if you need to bail me out for homicide... Enough about me, how's your day been?"

"Unproductive, mostly sleeping and exercising."

"Typical." Keith huffed, hand placed onto the back of Shiro's head and brought it back to his neck, with fingers playing with the longer strands on top. "Better get a meal in now, you've got a big game on tonight "

Shiro kissed his neck again before sinking his teeth in, Keith tensing slightly at the penetration of fangs before immediately relaxing with a pleasant sigh escaping his lips. This was always his favourite time of the day, getting to feed his boyfriend with intimate cuddle time and aftercare ensured; it helped the stresses of the day melt away. 

Shiro took his time to savour his feast, enjoying every drop on his tongue till his belly was warm and content before finally unlatching from Keith, who hissed as he lapped away the blood still seeping from his neck till the wounds clotted.

"Thank you for the meal." Shiro chirped as he pulled Keith down to lay on top of him on the couch, strong arms wrapped tightly around the smallers frame. "How you feeling?"

"Little more light headed than usual but I'll be fine."

Shiro hummed and nuzzled his face into a sea of soft dark locks. "You going to come watch me play tonight? Think I'm going to need you with me for extra good luck."

Keith chuckled. "Not sure I have much of a choice, if the Voltron Lions win tonight it's going to be a huge deal to get your team into the big leagues, and especially for you, don't think many would smuggle a bat out if he's being swarmed by fans and paparazzi."

"And you have no idea how much I appreciate you doing that, and I have no idea what I've done to deserve you."

“ We'll you can make it up to me by just doing your best and showing me and everyone else what you've got superstar.”


	2. Ghost stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out longer than intended... I should not be allowed to write late at night

The night was young; bar packed, music thrumming, glasses clinking, hollers and cheers screaming above everything else. it was a night to celebrate over their victory over the Balmerans, with one, Takashi Shirogane, being the focus of attention and praise from his team for kicking that last goal seconds before the timer clocked out, bringing the Voltron Lions ahead by a single goal.

“Shiro you absolute legend! What would we ever do without you?” Matt all but shouted as he slung his arm so casually around the larger man’s neck, the drink in his other hand sloshing around and spilling to the floor carelessly .

“It was a team effort and you know it.” Shiro gave as he flashed his teammate a toothy smile, trying hard to not let his rowdy friend make him spill his own drink.

“Bullshit!”

“I mean it was just good timing, especially when Hunk managed to get the ball off Rax-” Shiro paused, looking around to spot their lovable friend in question bantering away with Rax himself, and his sister, Shay; the three clearly having a good time at their table in the corner with a bowl of nachos.

“Yeah but you managed to get us the winning shot, not to mention how much you've been killing it the last 3 seasons. There's been talk about some scouts taking interest in you.”

“Oh really?” Shiro raised a brow as he brought his drink to his mouth to try and cover up his smirk.

“It's just rumours at the moment, but wouldn't surprise me, like out of anyone on the team, you'd hands down be the one to make it to the big leagues.” Matt said with absolute certainty.

“Well I appreciate the optimism, but I'm quite happy here playing with my friends. I don't think I could take the pressure of playing for a state team.”

Matt removed his arm from Shiro and gave him the dirtiest look he could muster before bursting out in a fit of drunken laughter. “Oh god Shiro, you're a ham. Don't ever change.”

Shiro gave a small huff through his nose before downing his drink, glass now empty. He was about to offer shouting Matt a drink before it hit his nose.

The intoxicating smell of blood.

Shiro’s breath hitched slightly as it filled his nostrils. It was faint, but certainly there, he could swear he could taste it as his fangs began to ache slightly, just begging to come out. It didn't surprise him too much, it had been a several days since his last feeding.

“Hey Matt, I uh… gotta take a leak. I'll be right back.” was all he could say as he pawned his glass to his friend before making a bee line through the crowded bar, chasing the scent that made him walk straight past the mens toilets and out into the beer garden.

Outside the music and shouts of the people were muffled, the ringing in his ears making itself known at the dramatic drop in volume. There was a handful of people out in the garden, mostly smokers, a few people just wanting a quiet place to sit and chat with their drinks, but his attention fell upon a lone figure hunched over and sitting on one of the picnic tables, sucking along his thumbnail which Shiro assumed must have been the source of blood. Maybe a cut or picked at a hangnail that tore skin?… god he was becoming more aware of his hunger.

Shiro crept closer, wanting to get a good look at the one who he would lure in to become his meal for the night, only to stop dead in his tracks as the figure turned to him. His eyes widened, his stomach plummeted, and his mind felt like it was about to short circuit at the now identified man in front of him.

A-Akira?

No, impossible!

It couldn't be.

His hair wasn't black, he never had facial piercings or wore such heavy makeup….

But that same face… those…. Those EYES!… eyes that belonged to him and only him 

It was like staring at a ghost.

He felt ill

He felt completely out of it

He-

….

He wasn't quite sure what happened exactly but the next thing Shiro knew, he opened his eyes, vision blurred for a few seconds before focusing and a face came into view. 

“Hey, you're going to be alright?”

The voice hit Shiro like a freight train. It was exactly like his…

Trying to keep his composure with a deep breath, Shiro brought a hand to his head, fingers carded through his white fringe as he realized he was laying on the ground. “Y-yeah. I uhh… what happened?”

“You tell me.” The other paused, shuffling back to give Shiro space as he helped prop him up into a sitting position. “You were kinda standing there like you were staring into space while looking freaked out before you fainted for a couple minutes.” 

Heat flushed to Shiro’s face, a light pink dusted his cheeks. “S-Sorry, I thought I- thought I saw a ghost.”

The goth gave him a surprised look, instantly making Shiro realize how ridiculous he just sounded in front of a total stranger.

“Have you heard the stories too?”

Oh? Well this took an unexpected turn.

“Stories?”

“Yeah, there's rumours that the bar here is haunted when it caught fire like 60 years ago and a few workers perished.” the man informed. Even in the poor light, Shiro could see clear as day the slight brightness of the others eyes just talking about it, clearly enthused about the subject.

“Huh… I actually had no idea. Guess you learn something new every day.”

The other man snorted and gave him a perculear look that made Shiro feel something foreign in his chest. Something he hasn't felt in a long long time 

“SHIRO!” A cry came, both looking up to see both Matt and Hunk rushing towards them. 

“Oh thank god you're alright.” Matt wheezed. “Some girl came up to us saying one of our teammates collapsed in the beer garden.”

“Yeah, though looks like you were in good hands. Hey Keith.” Hunk waved.

“Hey.” the man, now identified as Keith waved back.

“Oh! So you're the goth friend Pidge was telling me about.”

“I dunno, Pidge sure knows a lot of goths named Keith.” Keith joked, voice laced heavily with sarcasm. Matt laughed sheepishly as he helped Shiro to his feet. 

“He looks like he'll be alright. Don't know how much he's had but he should call it a night.” Keith informed, giving Shiro a look over for any injuries even in the abysmal lighting

“Yeah… that sounds like a good idea.” Shiro concurred.

“Aww man, but we've barely even started partying. You've only had 2 drinks!” Matt shouted. Hunk just placed a hand on his shoulder and patted him, trying to calm his partly drunk friend down.

Shiro chuckled. “Yeah well, it's been a long day, I don't particularly want to risk fainting again.”

Matt continued to rant at Shiro till sweet, blessed Hunk came and dragged him away, leaving Shiro alone with Keith again. 

“You going to be alright getting home alone?” Keith asked.

“Won't be a problem, I'll just catch a taxi.” a blatant lie. Why pay for a taxi when you can fly.

Keith pulled a face before sighing, reaching for a napkin from the dispensers on the table he had been sitting on earlier and pulled out a tube of lipstick from his pockets before scribbling something down and handed it to Shiro.

“I know it's a bit weird since we don't know each other, but shoot me a text when you make it home so I know you haven't fainted in a gutter somewhere of got kidnapped.”

“S-sure.” the taller mentally slapped himself for stuttering as he held the phone number in hand.

“Maybe tomorrow you can tell me about the ghost you saw.” Keith smirked, which grew wider when Shiro’s face reddened. “Anyway have a good night.”

“You to.” Shiro managed to say as he watched Keith walk inside, music still blaring loudly. Even though it's been dormant for centuries, Shiro could have sworn he could feel his heart racing a million beats a second and wanted to slap himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

They were so alike even in their differences, scarily alike. Whether Keith, or Akira, centuries later it seems he's still looking out for him, so was this… was this a sign of a second chance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really want to draw something based off this, whether that happens or not is debatable at best
> 
> Follow me on  
> Tumblr - @Octorabbit  
> Twitter - @Octo_Rabbit


	3. Batiro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy world goth day!
> 
> This is just a dumb fun chapter spawned between me and my friend during a bout of sheer idiocy

When Shiro came up to Keith about seeing a movie at the mall, neither thought much of it; Shiro was super keen, but because it was on its last few screenings they only played during the day.   
This wasn't a problem, the amount of times Keith’s had to smuggle Shiro around during daylight (or from rabid soccer fans) since they started dating has been more than once on a weekly basis, and it always gave him great pleasure to unironically use his ‘Bat hair day’ beanie with a literal bat stuffed underneath.

Unfortunately for them, Allura was a frequent mall goer, therefor by unwanted association, Lance was too.

Before Shiro could even get the chance to shift from their secluded little hidey hole away from most of the public and security cameras view, Allura called out to Keith, with tiny bat in hand which caught the young beauty’s attention. Allura’s eyes widened at the small critter like a deer in headlights, while Lance pulled a face in disgust.

“I knew it! I bet that's one of your vampire minions.” Lance sneered.

Keith scowled, nose wrinkling in annoyance. “Why are you still on about that? I just found him in the.... parking lot. I... think hes hurt.”  
...God he wanted to slap himself for that. Keith isn't a good liar on his best days, even he was cringing at how bad that was. 

Thankfully sweet blessed Shiro was quick to play his part, letting out a small squeak and tried to crawl up Keith’s sleeve in a weak, pathetic manner.

Allura couldn't help but coo. “Poor little thing, must be terrified.”

“Y-yeah he was, but… I-I think he's settled down now.”

“Yeah, probably because he's being protected by his master and just waiting to feast on one of us. Better stay away Allura.”

Lance's comment fell onto deaf ears as Allura, completely enamoured by the small critter, rummaged through her bag and pulled out a banana. The bats ears flitted up at the sight of fruit, nose twitching as let out a squeak and he crawled back onto Keith's palm, his injured rouse flown out the window as he took on the posture of an alerted dog.

Allura giggled as she peeled the banana, breaking off the tip to give to the tiny bat who grabbed it with tiny claws and inhaled his food in seconds.

“Gluttonous little shit.” Keith murmured to himself.

“Looks like he was just hungry.” Allura commented as she snapped off some more banana, which Shiro was eager to take.

“Allura, mind sharing that banana, I'm getting hungry too!” Lance whined as he leaned closer to Allura, batting his eyes at her in attempt to garner her attention.

“Dude… are you jealous of a bat?”

Lance immediately stood straight, his posture ridged. “N-no, why would I be jealous of a dumb disease bag?”

Keith just stared at him in a very unimpressed manner. And he thought he was a terrible liar

“Well it is about lunch time now, we could try out that new burger place that opened up the other week? I haven't had the chance to go there yet.” Allura offered.

With his free hand, Keith reached into his pocket for his phone to check the time he has between now, and when the movie started. “I've got time, so why not.”

Allura clapped her hands and beamed a cheerful smile “Great!”

All Lance could do was sigh. “Fine, we can bring the freak and his little pet too on our date… shall we go, m’lady?” Lance asked, extending his hand out with full expectations of Allura holding his hand.

Instead all he got was a slightly repulsed look from the girl of his affections at the ‘m’lady’ comment, and brushed straight past him, with Keith by her side, only for Lance to follow along like an eager puppy.

\---

Lance took back every mean thing he said about the bat as he held his phone in his hand recording the scene in front of him. This little guy was going to make him (internet) famous!

“C’mon now, why don't you just give me back my -”

Keith snatched his hand back as the bat hissed at him and it sprawled it's small body over Keith's burger.

“Did… did you just hiss at me??” Keith couldn't help but scoff in disbelief 

Allura giggled as she slurped her smoothie. “What did you expect, he's a wild animal.”

Lance snickered away at the spectacle of Keith losing his burger to the little critter. His sniggering quickly turned to full on cackling as the bat began to devour with fervor. “Holy shit it's practically voring it!”

Keith made a noise of disgust at the sight.

“You know it's been bothering me on who that bat reminded me of and I figured it out. He looks like Shiro!” Allura announced

Both Keith and Shiro flinched at the comment, both trying hard to make their recovery as inconspicuous as possible. 

“You mean Shirogane, the soccer player?” Lance asked, which Allura answered with a nod. “Oh shit yeah, that guy’s my idol! And now that you mention it, it does with that little white patch on it's head and that nose scar… Batiro!”

Allura actually snorted with laughter at the name. Keith on the other hand had now become horrifically aware that he must never share his relationship status with Lance for his own sanity.

The newly dubbed Batiro continued to devour Keith's burger, already a 3rd of the way through while the others chatted idly. It wasn't till Keith checked his phone that he was aware of the time.

“I've gotta go… I promised a friend we'd catch up to see a movie.”

“This ‘friend’ doesn't happen to be your boyfriend you haven't let me meet yet?” Allura teased, effectively getting a small pout from Keith.

“Wait, you have a boyfriend??” Lance squawked, shock evident in his voice.

Keith couldn't help but scowl at Lance's tone as he picked up Batiro, who detached himself from his burger without issue “Yes. You got a problem with me being with another guy?”

“What? No! What the hell do you take me for? I'm just surprised vampires can even even have relationships… unless he's also a vampire!”

With a quirked eyebrow, Keith turned his attention back to Allura.

“So what film are you seeing?”

“Across the universe. He's been so dead set on watching it together but neither of us found the time.”

“How romantic. I watched it with Lotor and the girls a few weeks ago, it's quite a splendid film.”

“Well that's good, I can always trust your taste in movies, especially when I don't know much about it.”

“Trust me Keith, you and your boyfriend will love it.” Allura hummed as she gave a cheeky, knowing smile.

\---

The cinema was sparse, only a small handful of people you could count with your fingers scattered across the enormous room. Ignoring the designated seating arrangement, Keith shuffled his way to his prefered spot dead smack in the middle, hands full with popcorn and coke as he sat down. Placing his drink into the holder, Keith reached to remove his beanie where Shiro resided, still in bat form and placed his hat on his lap.

“This isn't exactly how I pictured this little date would go.” Shiro stated, shifting his little body into a comfortable position that still gave him a good view of the screen.

Keith only responded with a short hum.

“... You're upset about the burger thing, aren't you.”

“You have no idea.”

The pair sat in bored silence as the ads played until Keith remembered something important. Shiro looked at Keith in confusion as his boyfriend rummaged through his bag, and could hear the sound of opening a package.

Shiro couldn't see what was was in Keith's hand, and could only observe as his free hand plugged over the end of the straw of his drink before pulling it out of the cup and releasing some of the coke into his hand that concealed the mystery object.

“Here's your drink.” Keith announced in a hushed voice as he placed a thimble full of coke into Shiro’s tiny hands, followed by a single piece of popcorn. “and here is your movie snack.”

“I really can't tell if you're trying to do this to be cute, or just fucking with me right now.”

“Most definitely fucking with you. That's all your getting.”

Shiro's ears drooped as he pouted at Keith who dipped his fingers into the popcorn bucket, fully aware Keith wouldn't consume any till the movie actually started. A cute little quirk he picked up on on other movie ventures.

“Karma’s a bitch, and that face isn't going to work. Now shut up, looks like the trailers are finally starting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personal hc time - vampires only eat human food more for taste than anything else, beyond that they are a bottomless pit that only blood can fill and satisfy
> 
> Follow me on  
> Tumblr - @Octorabbit  
> Twitter - @Octo_Rabbit


	4. Fuck winter

On evenings like this, bitter and fridged, Keith would never leave the comforts of his home unless he was to be somewhere equally warm, or if something important came up. The later being his current situation as he ventured outside into the freezing cold; the wind still seeping through his many layers of clothes which had him shivering from the chill.

In his personal opinion, winter can fuck right off.

Unfortunately he was on a mission. He got a message from Pidge not long ago informing him that her dog escaped while her and the family had been out earlier today. While Bae Bae was a very smart dog, who knows whether or not he would come back home, or if he hasn't already been skittled by someone's car or truck.

Thus here Keith was, walking alone along the streets, a container of dried dog food in his bare hand that he would rattle as he called for Bae Bae. So far his endeavours have been fruitless, the cold made his nose drip to the point where sniffing was futile, and all he wanted to do was find somewhere indoors and buy himself a hot chocolate or coffee to warm himself up, and a napkin to blow his nose into.

With a shuddery groan he wedged the container under his arm so he could blow into his hands and rub them together for some semblance of warmth. It was then that he heard a squeak from above that caught his attention; looking up he caught a sight of a tiny bat flying around in circles. Keith couldn't help but frown; how odd it is for a bat to be out at this time of year, shouldn't it be hibernating?

He never realized how caught up he was just watching the creature till it suddenly paused midair, as if it spotted something and then dived through the trees that lead to the park just up ahead. Curiosity getting the better of him, Keith wandered over to the park entrance, it's not like he wasn't going there anyway… or so he told himself.

It surprised him to see a handful of people still out and about in the park, even after the heavy shower of rain they had earlier today that's caused everything to feel 10x more bitter and icy, though deeper into the park, the less people there were. Once he found himself at the playground, his eyes widened at the sight of Bae Bae barking happily as he chased after a stick that seemed to have been thrown by a familiar face who was grinning ear to ear as he played with the dog, completely unphased by the weather.

It was Bae Bae who took notice of Keith as he barked eagerly and bolted towards him. Keith had very little time to act as the mutt jumped, muddy pawprints stamping over his black pants and jacket, the unpleasant smell of wet dog ever so prominent as he was accosted.

“Hey! Bae Bae down!” Keith growled, luckily the dog obeyed as it stepped back and sat in front of him, tongue lolling out as he panted.

The man who was playing with the dog came running up, nose and cheeks were notable pink from the winter air. “Oh hey, it's you! Keith right?”

“Yep. Uhh….. Shhhhhhhiiiii-ro…?” Keith asked awkwardly, relief flooding when the other nodded.

“Yeah its Shiro.” he said with a laugh. “So I'm guessing the Holt’s roped you into their dog hunt?”

Keith nodded. “Mmm, I wouldn't be out here otherwise.” He paused to blow more hot air onto his hands, fingertips now hitting the point beyond numb while avoiding eye contact. “Would have thought you'd have taken him back as soon as you found him.”

“Little guy just wanted to play, so thought I'd help burn that off before heading back.”

“Fair enough.” was all Keith said as he unclasped his hands to picked up a stick and threw it for the dog to chase.

The pair continued to play with Bae Bae, having him chase them around, having tug of war with the stick, and continuously playing fetch till the pooch inevitably slowed down and now eating food from the container out of Keith's hand. Now seemed like the right time to finally rip the bandaid off what was on his mind

“So, you never called.” Keith started.

“Excuse me?”

“The night we met; you never called or messaged me to say you got back safely.”

“Oh…” Shiro said dumbly, cheeks suddenly getting a little redder. “S-sorry, I was a bit rattled by what happened so it kinda slipped my mind. Guessing you were a bit worried?”

“A little.” Keith admitted, heat now rushing to his face. “I also wasn't kidding about wanting to hear about the ghost you saw.”

Shiro froze at the statement, completely taken off guard. He was aware he must have been pretty blatant as Keith gave him an odd look that helped him snap back to reality.

“O-oh yeah, that… that was…. Interesting.”

“... You didn't actually see a ghost, did you.”

“ No no, I-I definitely saw one! It's just… It’s still a bit hard to wrap my head around.”

“Huh…” was all Keith said as he drew his hand away as Bae Bae long since finished his snack and begun licking his palm. He attempted to try clenching his hand, finding that he was unable to do such a simple action, which Shiro took notice of.

“Hey, I know a little cafe close by. Maybe we could grab a drink and get out of the cold for a bit before we take the dog back. My treat.” Shiro offered.

Keith looked back at his hands and attempted to move his fingers again with no luck. “A hot drink sounds nice… thanks.”

It was the sudden way Shiro grabbed Keith’s hand that made heat flare up to his face and blue eyes widened, oggling their hands in utter shock.

Shiro gave Keith a quizzical look before following the shorter’s focal attention towards the hands. Shiro snatched his hand back, eyes equally as wide as Keith’s, and cheeks pinking from more than the chilly air, completely flustered. “S-sorry, I uhh, your hands were…-”

“N-no no, m-my fault for not wearing gloves! I just… I just don’t like wearing any that aren't fingerless.” Keith could barely look Shiro in the eye as he made his excuse. Turning his attention back to the Holt’s dog for a distraction, he whistled. “Bae Bae, come!”

With a woof, Bae Bae trotted over, still panting happily and completely oblivious to the tension between the pair in front of him.

Keith on the other hand, while still keen for a hot beverage to warm himself up, wasn't so sure he could bare to hear that ghost story anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd be lying if I said this wasn't losely based off events that happened to me personally in the last week... they should be greatful they only had to deal with only 1 escaped dog :,|
> 
> Follow me on  
> Tumblr - @Octorabbit  
> Twitter - @Octo_Rabbit


	5. Who are you

“Go Shiro!” Keith cried from his seat amongst the overzealous crowd who were cheering and barracking for their teams. In all honestly Keith felt terribly out of place surrounded by obnoxious sports fanatics (and sticking out like a sore thumb in his all black attire), but damn it there's something about being at live sporting games that makes the enthusiasm contagious.

Also helps that his boyfriend was on fire tonight, but he digresses.

There was only 30 seconds left and Shiro had the ball, making his way down the field where the opposition were doing their best to defend and steal the ball off him with no success. With Shiro's skills, he'd make that final goal no problem even when the defence were attempting to block, so it was a shock to the crowd when Shiro quickly dodged and kicked the ball off to Hunk, who seemed off guard by the pass. With only seconds to spare Hunk was able to snap back into game mode, and succeeding in obtaining that final goal; the crowd erupting in deafening cheers, Keith included at his friend’s success.

By the time the ball made it back on the field and 2 passes had been made, the siren went off, half the people in a frenzy of screams. The Lions were celebrating their win, the team congratulating Hunk for that last goals with words of praise and playful roughhousing, everyone grinning from ear to ear.

Keith remained in his seat, head resting in his hand as he watched the players on the field before locking on to Shiro to make goo goo eyes at. Sure he wasn't a fan of soccer or most sports, but he made the effort to try and take interest in his boyfriend's hobbies and passions, and it left a warm feeling seeing Shiro have fun and enjoying what he did.

Eventually the teams left the field to head to the changerooms; Keith chose to hang back, flicking through messages and social media on his phone until he landed himself onto an interesting article about giant salamanders. His phone eventually vibrated as Shiro sent him a message

-Hey, be out soon. Guys are a bit wild tonight

-K. Meet you out front

With a yawn, Keith pocketed his phone as he stood up to head outside.

Outside was fresh with a slight nightly chill, but not uncomfortably so. A number of people still hanging around and loitering outside, and Keith parked himself against a wall, attention returning back to the giant amphibians on his slightly cracked screen.

It was the tall figure with a small sway of white that caught the man's attention as the figure walked past.

“Hey Shiro, back here.” he called out to the familiar figure who seemed to either to not hear him, or completely ignored him. “Shiro!” he called again with no luck. With a small growl Keith power walked behind Shiro around the corner of the building, latching onto his arm and spin him around. 

“Damn it Shiro, I'm ri...ght here…”Keith trailed off, eyes slightly widened in surprise. He certainly looked like Shiro yet notably off. Still adorning the same scar on his nose, yet his white forelock seems shorter, he was more notably aware his hair was slightly longer and thicker, but the most notable features were the eyes, a piercing gold that seemed to glow.

Those golden eyes first looking at him in annoyance before widening in shock.

“You…” The Shiro lookalike started, a tense clipped tone in his voice. “You shouldn't be here.”

Keith furrowed his brows in confusion. “What?”

The next thing he knew, a hand gripped harshly at his throat and lifted him up in the air. Keith gasped as he struggled to breathe, both his hand latching onto the one choking him and his feet kicking aimlessly. 

“You bastard, you should be dead!”

“Shi-ro?” Keith croaked.

Completely dumbfounded and a sense of terror rushed through Keith, he looked dead into Not-Shiro’s eyes, the golden irises seemed to amplify and gave Keith a lulling effect. Slowly that confusion and fear ebbed away, limbs and eyelids feeling heavy and his eyes glazed over as he fell entranced on those bright irises and ceased his resistance; the grip on his neck loosened enough to help him breathe easier.

“Who are you?” Not-Shiro asked.

“I am Keith.” He droned with absolute compliance.

Not liking that answer, not-Shiro jolted Keith harshly. “Don't play games with me brat, who are you really?”

“I am Keith.”

“Don't you fucking lie Akira, I know it's you!” not-Shiro snarled, getting more irritated by the second, his hand tightening on the throat once again.

“A-ki...ra?” Keith choked out, completely oblivious to the danger he was in as his windpipe was being crushed.

Not-Shiro let out another snarl, more feral than before as his grip tightened; Keith's face starting to change colour while he gasped from lack of oxygen.

“If you don't show yourself to me now Akira, I'll snap your pretty little head of-”

“KURO!”

Kuro turned to face Shiro, a murderous look was etched deeply into Shiro’s face, which brought a twisted smile to his.

“My big brother, its been a long ti-”

“Let Keith go now.” Shiro spat.

“But I was just about to have some fun.” Kuro teased, raising a clawed finger to Keiths soft cheek and poked hard. His smirk grew as Shiro’s face became more intense when he dragged his nail along his cheek down to his jawline, cutting deep into flesh as warm blood flowed heavily from the cut.

Keith remained unphased by his injury, his face now going from a deep red to a purplish hue.

“LET HIM GO!” Shiro snapped.

“Fine.” Kuro huffed, releasing his grip from Keith who fell unceremoniously hard on the concrete like a lifeless bag of bones, and stood back when Shiro rushed to the humans side.

“Keith? Keith?? C’mon snap out of it.” Shiro begged as he cradled Keith's prone body in his arms, patting his left cheek gently to try and snap him out of his trance.

“He'll be fine. He'll snap out of it in a few hours.” Kuro said as he licked the blood from his nail, pupils dilating at the taste. “Well now, that's not half bad”

“Why are you here?”

“What? Is it so wrong to want to visit my dear big brother?”

Shiro only scowled.

“It's true, I didn't expect to find you in this city but here we are. Must say I'm quite disappointed, mingling with humans and pretending to be one is pretty sad, and now seeing Akira with you only ma-”

“Keith. His name is Keith.”

Kuro rolled his eyes. “Whatever, but look at you, it's pathetic that you're trying to cling onto the past. Though it's interesting... I didn't think reincarnation was actually a thing, especially with vampires.”

Shiro tensed as he held Keith closer. “Leave.”

“You know you're setting yourself up for sabotage. Anyone sees him, he's dead. It's just lucky you came when you did, you know I would have enjoyed crushing his windpipe and sucking him dry.”

“LEAVE!”

Kuro snorted. “Rude. We haven't seen each other in a few centuries and this is how you treat me? Don't come crying back to me when your little fantasy falls apart and you lose your precious little sire again.”

A strong gust of wind began to blow, Shiro held Keith close to protect him from the breeze, and when Shiro looked back up, Kuro was gone.

His brothers words were chewing away in his mind, but tried to focus on Keith to keep it away from shaping into some type of paranoia.  
Cheek still bleeding (the cut probably deep enough to scar from his observation), bruising already forming along his neck, eyes half lid and glazed, a small stream of drool beginning to leak from the corner of his black lips, completely unresponsive but thankfully still breathing.

With a sigh of relief he lifted up his catatonic boyfriend and made his way to the car, carefully trying to avoid the attention and suspicion of the public and players who were still around. 

Once at the car, Shiro placed Keith into the passenger seat and buckled him in, Keith's body leaning against the door once it was closed. He then parked himself in the driver's seat, rearing to get back to his place where he could patch Keith up and lay him somewhere comfortable.

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to start the car as soon as he put the keys in the ignition; he honestly wanted to be anywhere but here and yet all he did was sit and thrum his fingers against the steering wheel.

He was doing a terrible job keeping that paranoia at bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been really in the mood to draw something from this, but not sure what, so any suggestions of a scene you want drawn would be great! (Although chances of showing it here is slim because coding really hates me when I try to insert images)
> 
> Follow me on  
> Tumblr - @Octorabbit  
> Twitter - @Octo_Rabbit


	6. Anniversary

Keith didn't want to leave the bed. Efficiently burritoed in his sheets and blankets that kept him warm and cozy from the winter chill he could feel on his face; it was absolute heaven.

Unfortunately Keith couldn't have nice things when he was stirred by the sounds of flapping and someone cooing his name. Eyes peeking open, all he saw was a moving black blur above him that slowly focused into a small bat hovering over him.

“Shiro?” He croaked, his voice heavy with sleep.

The small bat gave him a mischievous grin, a particularly cheeky glint in his eyes.

Keith's foggy brain took a few moments to click, eyes widening when it hit him. “Shiro, no.”

His words fell on deaf ears as that smile grew, flashing sharp tiny teeth as his form shifted, transforming into a large muscular man above him, only for gravity to do its thing and Shiro came plummeting down. Keith couldn't even cry out has his body was slammed further into his mattress by a large heavy weight that knocked the wind from his lungs.

“Good morning.” Shiro hummed playfully, brushing hair away to kiss the pinned man's scarred cheek.

All Keith could do was gasp and cough before finally wheezing out a “Shiro why?” before another fit of hacking

“It's a special day today, I can't help but be excited.”

“Get...Off!” Keith growled as he slapped his free hand on his boyfriend's face, trying to push him off with some slight effort from being pinned down. Shiro grinned and allowed Keith to push him off. With newfound freedom Keith gasped for breath, taking several deep breaths and coughing occasionally till he settled.

Shiro continued to grin as Keith glared at him.

“You're a dick.”

“Happy anniversary to you too.”

Keith flinched at those words, eyes widened and mouth opened slightly. His annoyance immediately forgotten.

Shiro’s grin morphed into a gentle, understanding smile. “You forgot.”

‘I….” Keith drifted off. Dark hair hid his face as he hung his head in shame, unwilling to look his boyfriend in the eye at the revelation. 

“Hey, it's fine. A lot’s been going on for you lately. These things happen.”

Keith frowned, completely disappointed with himself. Sure things have been hectic at work, especially with Lance still breathing down his neck, and having both his house and car broken in within the last week and filing police reports.  
“It’s not fine…”

A hand was placed oh Keith’s cheek to turn his head as Shiro leaned in, this time a peck on the lips as he ruffled his boyfriend's hair. “It is. If I was upset you know I'd be honest about it.”

Keith sighed through his nose. He appreciated Shiro’s attempt to try and make him feel better, but he still felt like a crummy boyfriend.

“I'm not even sure if you're the type to be into anniversaries or not, but you've already made this one very special for me.”

“You're not going to cop out with a ‘because I get to see you’ crap, are you?” Keith groaned.

“Well there is that-,” Shiro smirked as he lowered his hands from Keith’s hair to smoosh his cheeks. “But I'm also enjoying this gift of finally seeing your beautiful face without all your makeup.”

Shiro was greeted to another hand slapped to his face and being pushed away.

“Oh my god, stop. None of this sappy romance-y talk before my coffee, you cheesy weirdo. You've seen nothing!”

\---

It took 15 minutes for Shiro to coerce Keith out of bed, who spent another 10 minutes strutting around still bundled in his sheets as he got changed and tried to apply his make up. Once prepared for the day, he begrudgingly discarded his blanket as they headed for the front door with the plans of coffee.

With coffee in hand the pair made their way to the lake across from the cafe, parking themselves at a bench. Keith was content with the hot beverage warming his insides and perking him up while watching the ducks on the lake and the few joggers passing by while Shiro indulged himself to Keith's neck.

Had people known vampires were real this would have been a shocking sight to any onlookers, thankfully with how Shiro draped over Keith, it just looked like typical couples getting a little frisky. Keith couldn't help but silently enjoy the awkward glances from those looking at their supposed pda.

The way Shiro’s mouth was on his neck made Keith shiver, especially with the quiet sucks and moans escaping him.

And yet a somewhat obscure question came to mind.

“Shiro, I've got to ask… what's with your hair?”

Shiro pulled back from Keith's neck, small dribbles of blood seeped from the puncture wounds. He couldn't help but frown. “Why? What's wrong with my hair?”

“Nothing, your hair is fine.” Keith assured as he pulled his scarf up to cover the bite so no prying eyes could see from their park bench. “I was just curious on why you have white hair. Is it a vampire thing, or do you bleach it for a fashion statement?”

“Oh… umm… Yeah, its a vampire thing. Turned vampires often inherit traits from their sires, so when I was turned, some of my hair turned white.” heat tinted Shiro’s cheeks as he grabbed a lock of white hair in his fingers

“So your sire also had skunk hair?” 

“Sku- you said there was nothing wrong with my hair!”

Keith tried hard to stifle his laugh, resorting in a snort instead. “it's a joke. But you're a turned vampire? I didn't know that.”

“You never asked.”

“Oh. I thought it might have been rude to ask.”

Shiro couldn't help but smile. “You’re not being rude. I'm actually surprised you've gone this long without asking, but if you have questions you only need to ask.”

Keith stared at him, black painted lips sucked in as he began to think.

“Did it hurt?... Being turned I mean.”

Shiro blinked at the question before letting out a nervous laugh. “Hard to say; I was already in an immense amount of pain when it happened.”

A dark eyebrow raised. “What do you mean.”

“Well-” Shiro started, pushing himself off Keith to lean into the seat, “The day I turned was when my village was invaded and pretty much burned down overnight…”

Keith watched Shiro, paying attention to his movements as the man’s demeanor changed as he tried to remember the past. It was clear it was not a good memory to think back on, and he wanted to kick himself for making Shiro think back to it.

“It was over a battle of territory. My village was a very small farming community so we didn't stand a chance. It was a surprise I was one of the very few survivors of that raid, although I was gravely wounded and was convinced I was going to die; and then he turned up.”

Shiro paused, looking to Keith who seemed to be drinking in his story with curiosity and undivided attention.

“His name was Akira. He gave me a choice; either to die with my family and village, or swear loyalty to him and be given another chance at life.”

“So you chose for him to turn you, and here you are centuries later.” Keith stated, which Shiro hummed in confirmation.

“Pretty much. I can't remember too much details since it's been so long, but it was quite an adjustment. The thirst, all my senses going into overdrive, constantly forgetting the sun is not my friend anymore… no more garlic.”

Shiro eyed Keith again, huffing out a laugh at Keith's scowl, indicating that incident was still a very vivid memory. 

Ahh their third date… good times…

“It was a rough period-” Shiro continued. “But Akira was there to help me through every step of the way.”

Black lips twitched as Shiro’s face softened fondly; starting to be caught in the memories of his sire. It was the most serene he'd ever seen Shiro.  
“He sounds like a great man.”

“He was. He could be a bit of a hardass and blunt at times, but he cared about others; whether vampire, or humans, other supernaturals, even small animals. It's one of the things I admired most about him.”

A gust of wind blew by; Keith shivered. “Shiro… Would you ever consider turning me?”

Shiro’s breath hitched at the question. “Do you… Is that what you want?”

Black lips sucked in again as Keith turned his focus to his coffee, fingers drumming on the paper cup with a face of uncertainty.

Another breeze passed by. Shiro’s eyes closed as white hair swayed gently with the wind, inhaling deeply, then breathing out. When he opened his eyes, he shifted in his seat, gaining Keith's attention as he reached into the pocket of his jacket, looking Keith dead in the eye as he pulled out a small box.

Blue eyes widened and heat rushed to his cheeks at the sight of the box in his boyfriend's hand, mind instantly screaming with conclusions.

Shiro chuckled at Keith's reaction. “Do you remember what happened a couple months back at the soccer game?”

“The one you said I got attacked by another vampire?” Keith inquired, the scar on his right cheek tingled. Keith didn't remember much; he didn't even realize he fell asleep till he woke up in Shiro’s bed adorning a new feature to his face, and heavy, painful bruising around his neck. It bothered him that he had no recollection of the event.

“The night that happened, it scared me knowing I wasn't there to keep you safe. The fear of you being targeted potentially because of me, the possibility it might happen again and I won't be there to protect you. I… I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you that was because of me.”

Shiro broke eye contact, toying with the box in his large hand. With an audible sigh the box popped open, inside was a simple silver ring, the silhouette of a bat engraved into its flat surface, a small red and purple stone embedded in each wing.

Keith's eyes widened in awe. 

“It's not much but it's something. Pure silver laced with a bit of magic so it should ward off small threats and be effective on something bigger.”

“It-it’s nice. I love it.” Keith commented, eyes fixated on the ring, until something switched in Keiths brain, and his head snapped back to Shiro. “You jackass! Way to make me feel worse, I haven't gotten you anything!”

Shiro let out a snort, seeming to get joy out of his scowling boyfriend who only grew more irritated.

“Relax Keith, I had been planning to give this to you for a while, it just turned out that it came when our anniversary was creeping up, which was convenient.”

“I still hate you.” Keith mumbled as he grabbed the box out of his hand, still admiring the jewellery as he slipped it on his finger; fitting perfectly. 

“If it bothers you that much, we still have the whole day to do things.”

“Can I just spend the whole day burning you with my new ring?”

Shiro flinched, Keith's dry tone made it impossible to tell if he was joking or not.

“I'm kidding.” Keith huffs out a laugh. “Maybe I could do some homemade burgers, I know how much you like those.”

Grey eyes brightened with eagerness.

”Can I get 6?”

“Yeah… sure.” Keith grimaced, nose wrinkling knowing he was going to witness his black hole of a vampire boyfriend inhale several large hamburgers.

At least it would make for a suitable improvised Anniversary gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me way longer than necessary to update... but hey, it’s up just in time for the s7 drop in 2 says! Who else is pumped?
> 
> Follow me on  
> Tumblr - @Octorabbit  
> Twitter - @Octo_Rabbit


	7. Fanboy

“BEGONE SPAWN OF SATAN!” A shrill voice shouted just before Keith was splashed in the face with some form of liquid. 

“What the actual fuck Lance?!” Keith snapped, already feeling his makeup running down his face, only to smudge it more as he tried to wipe his face dry.

Lance only looked perplexed at the bottle in his hand, muttering something about not swiping enough holy water from church.

Shifts like these when it was just him and Lance were always insufferable, and always made him genuinely consider homicide. He may go to prison, but he'd finally be free of this living hell. Plus Allura would bail him out since she's left him here alone with the one person he struggles tolerating for 3 seconds, so she owes him a solid.

Keith slouched on the counter, hand resting in his hand as his mind drifting to ideas on how to commit the crime and how to successfully dispose of the body; the many gruesome ideas made Keith smile fondly. Unfortunately something was pegged at his head, snapping him out of his fantasies, and looked down to see a garlic clove. Dark eyes flitted to Lance who was prepared to toss another clove at him.

“It's like you want to die. Do you have any idea what garlic actually does to vampires?”

“Aha! So you so admit to being a vampire!”

Keith groaned, the second clove hitting him on the cheek, and a third hit his shoulder, each attempt futile. Keith grabbed the bin from under the counter and brushed the cloves scattered on the counter into the trash.

While Keith was busy putting the bin back, Lance let put an audible gasp.

“O-oh my god, Shiro?! Holy shit!” Lance gawked, eyes widened, hands covering half his face as he bounced on his feet. 

Keith quickly snapped his head up, eyes equally as wide as his boyfriend entered the store, though unlike Lance who was fanboying embarrassingly so, Keith was more shocked to see Shiro out when he was sure it was sunny outside earlier.

Shiro wondered around the store, checking out the clothes and other goods around the store, acting casual the entire time and paying no mind to Keith, or the fanboy who was close to combusting.

“May I help you?” Keith finally asked, gaining Shiro's attention and giving him a smile. Neither seemed to pay too much attention to Lance who was trying to cover up a scream.

“Oh no, just browsing-... that's certainly an interesting look.” Shiro commented on Keiths melted face.

“Thanks, I was going for a Dali inspired look.” Keith replied dryly.

Shiro let out a hearty laugh; Lance looked like he had actual stars in his eyes as he finally had the nerve to speak.

“You're Shiro, the soccer player! I-I'm a massive fan, I've gone to every one of your games the past 3 seasons!”

Shiro beamed at Lance with a dazzling smile “Really? Didn't know I had such a dedicated fan.” 

“Are you kidding me, you're the best player on the team! Heck, I've even sent you multiple fan letters.” Lance gushed before quieting down, cheeks reddening as embarrassment kicked in, realizing how he was behaving in front of his idol. “Umm, I mean y-you're probably too busy and get a lot of fanmail to really care but…”

Shiro was very fast to switch on to Lance's shift change in demeanor. “Of course I do, I love reading all the letters fans sent me, its you guys that keep me inspired to play. And-” Shiro paused as he looked at the nametag. “Oh Lance! You're the one who was talking about your little niece wanting to start playing soccer and asked for some tips.”

Keith arched a brow at that, genuinely surprised that Shiro remembered that, but it gave him a few seconds of peace as Lance stood slack jawed in absolute awe.

“You've read and remembered my letter!” Lance managed to squeak out, eyes watering as he spoke.

“Of course I did, and all your other letters too. I'm really sorry I never responded, but life keeps holding me up and you never get time to sit down and remember to go back to do that thing you were supposed to do earlier, you know?”

Lance shook his head vigorously.

“So… mind grabbing me some paper and a pen?” Shiro asked. Keith obliged and grabbed out a small pad and pen which Shiro took, giving Keith a knowing look.

Shiro murmured to himself as he leaned over the counter and scribbled away on the pad, listing a few things before pausing. “What's your Niece's name?”

“Nadia.”

Shiro hummed as he continued writing, tearing off the page and continued writing on 2 more pages, tearing those off before returning the pad and pen.

“Alright here's something for Nadia, I hope she does well if she plans to pursue soccer, and a little something for you Lance.”

Keith leaned over as Lance checked out the papers. The first one was some basic tips and activities with Shiro's signature addressed to Nadia. The second was a personalized message to Lance, mostly a ‘thank you for your support’ letter, also signed by Shiro. Lance was awestruck by the act, stars filled his eyes as he almost collapsed, banging into Keith who grabbed onto him so he wouldn't crash to the floor.

Keith groaned at Lance's antics, giving Shiro a dirty look as he watched Lance with great amusement before giving Keith a wink.

He was up to something and he wasn't sure what.

“Lance snap out of it, you're an embarrassment.” Keith growled as he pushed the slightly taller man off him, thankfully staying on his feet, though eyes were still wide and bright with a ear to ear smile. 

Shiro chuckled. “Let him have his moment. Don't think I forgot about you Mr. Dali.” he passed Keith the third piece of paper, the tone of his voice and the look he gave Keith was bordering on sultry.

Oh yes he was definitely up to something. 

Before Keith could look at the note, Shiro bid farewell, giving Keith another wink as he left the store, off to venture the rest of the mall.

“Isn't Shiro the most amazing guy.” Lance sighed dreamily. “I can't believe he knew who I was, and actually wants to help my niece.”

Keith ignored Lance to open his letter, his expression remained blank as he he read an all too familiar number already in his phone, surrounded by a giant heart.

Lance chose to snoop, taking a quick glance at the letter only to choke on his own saliva.

“S-Shiro's an amazing guy, but wow he clearly has terrible taste in men!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on  
> Tumblr - @Octorabbit  
> Twitter - @Octo_Rabbit


	8. Old friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend commented I subconsciously channelled Herb Kazzaz when writing Adam  
> ...  
> I hate how a curate that statement is

“So are you going to tell me where I'm taking you this time, or is it too much of a secret.” Keith asked curtly as he drove along the busy road, a frown evident on his face.

Shiro's bat ears drooped, he hated knowing the slightly hostile and hurt tone in Keith's voice was his doing. He knows he had been acting suspicious as of late and Keith made that very clear. He wanted to tell Keith but it was incredibly difficult for him considering the circumstances.

_-Take third exit at next roundabout- Google maps chimed._

“Keith, I…”

Keith inhaled deeply, visibly trying to relax his tense body as he exhaled. A futile effort.

“Are you cheating on me?”

Ears erected and fur bristled. “N-No! Keith why would you think that? I'd never-”

“Then why the hell have you been constantly blowing me off lately? You keep saying you've made plans with someone else, and when I do see you after you're a lot more cheery than normal and then get tired around me.” Keith snapped.

“Keith, no, it's not like that.”

“If it’s not like that then why wont you tell me?”

“Please, I… just get me to where we're going and you'll understand.”

Keith sniffed but said nothing more, leaving the both of them in tense silence only breaking by the robotic voice of Google's directions.

_-Turn left at Pendleton street and arrive at your destination on the right-_

A dark cloud hovered over Shiro's mind and his chest tightened as the building came into view. Brown eyes flitted to Keith whos angry expression softened into a mix of confusion and concern.

Finding somewhere to park with suitable shading, Shiro shifted into his human form. He reached for Keith's hand, who looked at him with furrowed brows before reluctantly taking his hand and allowed Shiro to take the lead without a word.

It was quiet for a hospital, a handful of patrons, and the odd nurse walking by; wordlessly Shiro guided Keith to the elevator and ventured through the halls, taking a few turns before standing at a door.

The name to the left of the door in bright red - **Adam. W.**

Keith chanced a glance at Shiro as he took a deep breath before knocking. The vampire tensed at the lack of reply, quickly latching onto the handle and swung the door open, revealing an empty room.

“No.” Shiro whimpered, his grip on Keith's hand tightened, causing Keith to flinch slightly.

Both were startled by the sound of the toilet flushing, a few moments passed before a nurse came out, helping a very old and sickly man with his frame as he shuffled his way back into his room.

The man's tired eyes looked up to his guests as he returned to his bed, muttering something quietly to his nurse before he took his leave, greeting Keith and Shiro on his way out.

The silence was deafening as the old man got comfortable, finally settling before turning back to the pair with a frown as he eyed Keith.

“I may be old and dying, but was dressing early for my funeral necessary?” The old man jabbed, startling Keith a bit at the sheer bluntness of the comment. The old man kept his stern look for a moment before finally cracking with a huff. “Relax, I'm just stirring you.”

Shiro let out a light chuckle and gave Keith’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Keith this is Adam. Adam this is my boyfriend Keith.”

Adam extended a frail, withered hand, which Keith hesitantly shook. In spite of his looks his grip was firm. “So you're Keith? Takashi speaks so highly of you.”

“He does?” Heat flushed Keith's cheeks at the comment.

“Mmmm, doesn’t shut up about you, it's always Keith this, Keith that.”

“A-Adam!” Shiro snapped as his face turned red.

“Good lord he could talk the leg off a chair just talking about you.” Adam said with a cheeky toothless grin. “It's nice to see after 40 years that he's finally found someone else to be happy with.”

“40 years- wait, so you know about Shiro being-”

“Him being a vampire? We were together for 20 years and I knew him since I was 12, kind of hard to hide that.”

“What can I say, eternal youth is a curse.” Shiro sighed dramatically.

“Bugger off you undead leech, I used to be young and beautiful once, now I just look like a leather purse.”

“Mmm young? Yes. Beautiful? Debatable.” Shiro teased.

“Debate- I gave you 20 years if my life you ungrateful bastard! Where's my cane?”

The pair broke into joyful laughter, while Keith awkwardly joined in, feeling more like an intruder to something private than someone involved in the conversation. Keith would chime in when he could but struggled to keep up with the banter the pair would yammer on about in rapid fire.

And seeing Shiro so happy as he talked about the good old days with his ex left a hollow feeling in his chest.

“Keith?” Adam started, bringing Keith back into the conversation. “What do you give a man who has everything?”

Keith knitted his brows together, not sure where that riddle was leading but he attempted to wrack his brain for an answer. “Nothing?” 

“Penicillin!” Adam barked gleefully, seeming a little too pleased with himself.

Shiro pulled a face. “Christ. Okay, that's our cue to leave.”

“Such a killjoy” the elder grumbled.

“Visiting hours are almost up. I'll be back later this week anyway you old coot.”

“Fine fine.” Adam waved Shiro off with a roll of the eyes before looking at Keith with another cheeky, toothless grin. “It was an honor meeting you Keith, take care and keep bat brains out of trouble.”

Keith failed to not smirk “I can't promise anything, you know how he is.”

“Stop trying to conspire my boyfriend against me Adam!”

Keith and Adam laughed before the elder began violently coughing, all his energy from seconds ago disappeared in a blink when he finally settled. 

With another brief goodbye Keith and Shiro left, remaining quiet till they were sure they wouldn't be heard before Keith finally spoke.

“So Adam seemed… nice. a little senile but nice.”

Shiro hummed in agreement. “Haven't seen him that lively in a long time.”

“How come you've never told me about him?”

Shiro made an audible sigh, and pulled a bitter face. “When we broke up it wasn’t exactly on good terms. It was very easy to lose contact after that, so it seemed irrelevant to bring up my past love life, unless you asked of course.  
Adam's family knew my little secret, so a few weeks ago his niece got in contact with me to say that Adam was ill and probably doesn't have a lot of time left and he requested to see me. I was a bit hesitant at first but seeing him again after 40 years was nice. I know it's the guilt talking but thinking back, what broke us up seems so trivial now, but same time it feels amazing to reconnect with him.”

“So you’ve been visiting him this whole time?” Keith asked.

“Yeah.”

Guilt ripped into Keith's chest and stomach and made him feel sick and rotten. All this time he was afraid of Shiro cheating on him, when all, Shiro was doing was spending time with an old dying friend.

“I'm sorry.” Keith whispered. “You were just being a good friend while I was stupid enough to believe you were being unfaithful.”

“Keith, please look at me.”

The pair stopped. Shiro raised his hand to cup Keith face and turned to face him, his thumb brushing against the scar on his cheek and looked into Keith's beautiful dark eyes.

“I’m the one who should be sorry. I should have been honest with you from the beginning instead of causing you to feel like that. I love you Keith, and I'd never willingly want to hurt you.”

His words seemed to put Keith's mind at ease. Keith had a faint smile before pressing a short kiss to Shiro's lips.

“I love you too. At least now I know where you're going now.” the warm expression suddenly turned mischievous as he patted Shiro's cheek and resumed walking. “Better hope the payoff worth the gold digging.”

“K-KEITH!!!” Heat rushed to Shiro's face at the snarky remark. “It's official, I have the worst taste in men.” he mumbled under his breath as he chased after his boyfriend.

\----

Keith had fully intended for today to be a bum around day. Loose light pants, tank top, and not even bothering with his make up, he made his way down the hallway into the lounge with full intention of bingeing netflix and youtube videos. He was taken off guard to find Shiro sitting on the couch, slouched over and staring off into space in gloomy silence.

“Shiro?”

The man was slow to respond, eventually turning to face Keith, now revealing red puffy eyes and tear stains on his cheeks.

“He's gone.” Shiro whispered so quietly, yet those words felt deafening to Keith. He knew immediately who Shiro meant.

“Oh.”

Keith quietly walked over and took a seat next to Shiro on the couch. The older man leaned onto him as Keith wrapped his arms around his form, face rested in the crook of each others necks.

It was only 3 days ago Keith met Adam, sure he wasn't the epitome of great health but he seemed so lively at their meeting, full of terrible jokes, sass, and energy, to die so suddenly certainly came as a shock.

“I was there when it happened.” Shiro started, voice strained and hoarse. He gripped tight onto Keith as if he's slip through his fingers if he didn't. “He started having a seizure and the doctors chased me out of the room. I couldn't do anything, and then he was gone…”

“Oh Shiro “ Was all Keith said. What else could he say at this point? All he could do was hold Shiro and gently rub his back as he felt his neck become damp.

“The last- The last thing he said to me… He apologized for what happened that made us split up.”

Keith remained silent as Shiro rode through his emotions, rubbing circles on his back, playing with his hair and kissing his temple at random intervals until the man in his arms finally settled.

“Keith.” Shiro finally spoke after long silence minutes. He tilted his head to look Keith in the eyes.

One look was all it took for Keith to understand, gripping Shiro closer and placing a kiss on his forehead. 

“I'm here Shiro, I'm not going anywhere.”

Taking solace in Keiths words, Shiro curled into the other more and refused to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh I never had and still have no opinion on Adam. Dont love him, dont hate him, I wanted the show to give more before making a decision (and gave me fuck all lmfao)
> 
> Hopefully I dont take almost 5 months for another chapter
> 
> Follow me on  
> Tumblr - @Octorabbit  
> Twitter - @Octo_Rabbit  
> Instagran - @ Octo_Rabbit


	9. The bloody truth

Was he going crazy? Has he just watched one too many horror movies and read one too many books of the occult that his mind was playing tricks and he was being suspicious over nothing?

No, no something was definitely up.

It was only a couple weeks ago that Keith and Shiro started dating. Honestly the whole concept was absurd; Takashi Shirogane - captain of the Voltron Lions soccer team, whose reputation has started catching the eyes of professional leaguers and could make his way to international stardom, with some no-name goth who works in retail.

Not that Keith took issue with where he was in life, and didn't really take much notice of Shiro's status unless he really thought about it. Shiro was a sweetheart; charismatic, smart, bit of a dork in an endearing way, had a dry sense of humor he could always appreciate, nothing like the usual boneheads Keith is more accustomed to when associated with sports.

But there was definitely something off about him.

It started off with the small excusable things. Rarely seen out and about during the day and seemed more active at night, none of their mutual friends seem to know what he did as a day job, not particularly a fan of playing soccer outside in spite he seemed quite passionate about the sport, and the fact he adamantly refused to even kiss Keith after eating cheesy garlic bread, as well as REJECT cheesy garlic bread all together. Who turns down cheesy garlic bread??!

What really sparked his suspicion though that made everything click was on their last date. Just a small dinner date, nothing too fancy, just a burger joint that Keith thought Shiro would enjoy. The dinner itself was fine, it was when Keith went to the bathroom where he must have taken his time since Shiro popped in to see if Keith was alright, and while Keith was fully aware Shiro was in the room, the mirror said otherwise.

No reflection.

He remembered the feeling of his heart in his throat at that moment, quickly snapping his head to Shiro then darted his eyes back to the mirror. He played dumb the rest of the night, the date went smoothly, but his mind was racing with millions of thoughts and scenarios even now a week later.

Was he dating a vampire?

Was he Shiro's next target??

As much as he knew how ridiculous everything seemed, best to take it into his own hands, for the safety of himself and many others.

\---

Keith jerked his head up to the sound of knocking at his door as he tilted the frame in the hallway that was slightly off center.

Show time.

With a few deep breaths to compose himself and fixed up his hair and makeup, Keith walked towards the door. With a click from the lock, Keith was greeted by a bouquet of roses which took him off guard briefly as Shiro gave him a sheepish smile.

“Uhh… Happy 2 month anniversary?”

“Christ.” Keith huffed with a laugh as he accepted the flowers. “You're such a ham.”

“Is that on the menu?” Shiro asked keenly as he stepped inside and looked around the unfamiliar space. Keith followed quietly, his eyes darting to the frame he was fiddling with as Shiro walked past.

No reflection in the mirror.

“Fuck.”Keith muttered under his breath, hands worrying with the bouquet in his hands.

“Something wrong?” Shiro asked, making Keith start.

Fuck, right; Vampires have crazy good hearing, he could probably hear his heartbeat speeding up.

“I uhhh… I'm just… nervous?... I… don't tend to invite people over much, let alone cook for others.”

What Keith wouldn't do to be a more convincing liar, even if it was half true.

Shiro chuckled, giving Keith an easy going smile. “Cute. I wouldn't worry too much, I'm sure you're a good chef.”

“I'm not cute.” Keith grumbled, quickly placing the bouquet in an empty vase, then pushing past Shiro to lead him into the lounge room.

It was a standard room; big flat screen tv surrounded by a dark green leather couch and 2 matching recliners with a coffee table in the middle, a couple bookcases as well as a glass cabinet filled with old gothic antique cutlery, daggers, goblets and knick knacks that was very much up Keith's alley. Shiro couldn't help but wonder whether if they were family heirlooms or Keith was a fan of prowling second hand shops.

“Make yourself at home and check out the dvd's on the couch. I need to remedy the fact you've never seen a horror movie.” 

Shiro snorted as he made his way over to the couch to inspect the collection, completely oblivious to Keith’s not so subtle hint “Are these all vampire movies??”

Keith made no comment as Shiro sifted through the stack, murmuring to himself as he read the blurbs, often with a frown or dry look before passing the chosen film over to Keith.

“The Lost Boys huh? Should have known you'd pick something rather entry level?” Keith chuckled as Shiro gave him a peculiar look. “Relax, it's a cult classic for a reason.”

Huffing out another laugh, Keith turned on the tv and set up the dvd, relinquishing the remote to Shiro while he shuffled into the kitchen just as the oven beeped, announcing dinner was ready.

While Keith was busy in the kitchen, Shiro collected the dvd's and stacked them on the floor next to the coffee table before flopping onto the couch. He numbly pressed skip repeatedly as the trailers rolled before leaving the menu screen to play through repeatedly as he patiently waited for Keith to return. The alluring smell wafting from the kitchen made him salvate.

Finally Keith returned, one arm carrying 2 plates, while the other held the knives and forks, 2 clearly plastic wine glasses and a bottle of coke tucked under his arm.

“Coke in plastic wine glasses? Classy.” Shiro quipped.

“Only the best from this fine dining establishment.” Keith responded as he set up the coffee table. He could already see Shiro eyeing the homemade lasagna with great interest.

With a press of the play button, Keith dropped onto the couch, opening the coke bottle and pouring their glasses. Shiro, ever the gentleman, waited till Keith had finished before grabbing his plate.

“A home cooked meal by Keith, I've been waiting for this day.” Shiro teased, skipping the salad and diving straight into the lasagna that made him freeze at the first bite. “This… this is really good!”

“It's a recipe my old man got off a friend at the fire station, it's pretty good, though I wish he'd tell me his curry recipe, it's the best and apparently so secret he won't even tell his son.”

“Oh? You'll definitely have to find out so I can try… wow that 80’s aesthetic. Is this actually a horror?”

“Like I said, entry level, and…very much a product of its time”

Without a word Shiro turned his focus back to the tv, while cramming more lasagna into his mouth, making the odd comment about taxidermy and how Keith would feel if he were to sing and play the sax shirtless on stage. Keith chuckled at the idea, especially with the mental image of Shiro with that trainwreck hair of said shirtless saxophone player.

“You know, I used to have a bit of a vampire phase a few years back.” Shiro commented.

Keith arched a brow but continued to play dumb. “Really? Never would have guessed since you’ve never watched a single horror or supernatural movie.”

Shiro laughed sheepishly, unable to make an excuse. “Yeah well… I would imagine they'd play into a lot of really inaccurate tropes so wasn't worth getting into.”

“Oh? Do go on Mr vampire expert, indulge me on what an indoor soccer player would know more than a goth about vampires?” Keith teased as he picked up his coke glass and brought it to his lips with a teasing smirk.

“It's actually a massive misconception that garlic repels vampires, garlic actually acts like an aggressor that sets them into a rage.”

Keith's eyes bulged as his drink hit his tongue, immediately coming to regret 2 decisions at once as he spat out his drink and was caught in a coughing fit.

“Keith! Keith are you alright??” Shiro leaned over and patted Keith on the back.

“I-I'm fine.” Keith wheezed as he continued to cough. “Just som-something off… with the coke. Dont… dont drink it.”

“Is it put of date or something?” Shiro asked as he picked up his glass and gave it a sniff before tilting the plastic glass for a taste.

“Shiro no!”

Shiro's eyes widened as he dropped his drink on the floor, looking towards the other in disbelief. “Keith what did you-...run.”

“Shiro?”

“RUN!” Shiro snapped as he hunched over, hand clamped over his mouth as he convulsed.

Keith didn't need to be told again, with surprising agility Keith threw himself over the couch and ran for the front door, slamming it shut hard as he sprinted barefoot past the garden fence. His heart beating like a jackhammer in his chest as he swallowed nervously when a roar erupted from his house.

There was a pause of silence, nothing but the blood rushing in Keiths ears and the chirps of crickets were heard. The front door flew open, snapping off the hinges with an audible crack, and Shiro's haggard figure stood between the frame.

With a shaky breath Keith drew out the dagger that he had concealed in its sheath strapped to his belt, one of the ornamental blades made of pure silver. He had the sneaky suspicion things would go south; if it was any consolation his survival instincts were usually on point, this time being no exception.

It happened in a blink, one second Shiro was just a silhouette from his house, the next his handsome face warped in a feral expression was in front of him, hand at his throat and air leaving his lungs as his body cracked against a tree. So fast!

“Sh-Shi...ro!” Keith gasped feebly, one hand trying to pry off the vampire's strong hold, and the other raised, knife in hand ready to strike until Shiro's other hand grabbed his wrist with an iron grip.

Black dots speckled Keith's vision as the air escaped his lungs. It dawned on him that this was how he was going to die, at the hands of his boyfriend who happened to be a bloodthirsty vampire he was unable to stop. With an animalistic snarl, Shiro lunged forward, sharp teeth sinking deep into his jugular.

Keith's body begun to feel cold as his body was being sucked dry “Shiro… please…” Keith croaked weakly as his vision begun to fade, and inevitably the darkness enveloped his consciousness.

\----

Keith stirred awake by the light seeping through the blinds of his window beaming directly into his eyes. His body felt heavy, his mind woozy, and his throat was on fire; in all honesty he felt like he had been roadkill… multiple times at once.

With great reluctance Keith pushed himself up, realizing he was in bed; his brain foggy and unable to remember what happened last night, hell he didn't remember drinking or even going to bed. All he he could remember was that he had something to do with Shiro…

He couldn't think straight in this state, he needed coffee.

Whatever happened last night certainly did a number on him as he hobbled with great difficulty from his room into the kitchen. With a flick of the switch Keith was greeted to the visage of Shiro sitting on the countertop, a near empty dish of lasagna in one hand, the other a fork frozen meer inches from Shiro's open maw who looked like a stunned rabbit caught in the spotlight.

“Keith!” Shiro exclaimed in surprise and relief as he placed the fork and dish down, and rushed over to the smaller man. “Keith, how are you feeling?”

“Like shit.” Keith croaked, his throat throbbed from use. “What happened?”

Shiro chewed at his bottom lip, guilt read on his face. “Maybe we should sit down and we can talk.” The two made their way and sat at the kitchen table. There was an air of tension coming from Shiro that Keith could sense even with his muddled mind. “What can you remember from last night?”

Wracking his brain for a replay last night made Keith feel dizzy. “We were having a movie-dinner date here and… you attacked me.”

“Yeah, I did.” Shiro admitted weakly and looked at Keith like a kicked puppy. “I promise I never wanted to. How long have you known?”

Keith sighed. “Our last date, you weren't in the mirror when we were in the bathroom.”

Shiro was oddly calm about the whole discussion, making Keith question if this was a good or bad thing. “So what now?”

What now indeed. Without explicitly saying anything Shiro made it clear of what he was, and was clear to Keith that he was genuinely guilty for last night. If he was just meant to be another meal, Shiro wouldn't have felt guilty would he? And he was still alive after all.

“Be honest with me, what am I to you?”

Grey eyes looked at him, unreadable, but never broke contact as he thought about his response. “My Boyfriend. At least I hope.”

“Did you plan to drink from me?”

“There have been times when I considered, but I wanted to wait till I told you and with your consent. Last night was a freak accident.”

Keith relaxed at the answers, not sensing any deceit in Shiro's words.

“I know we've been together for a little while, but I wasn't expecting you to be so dangerous. Garlic in the coke?” Shiro chuckled.

Keith couldn't help but smirk. “If it makes you feel better, the taste alone was a bad decision. Had it soaking for a day.”

“Thank god I didn't consume much, I'm not sure I would have stopped myself.”

They remained in tense silence, nothing but the ticking of the clock could be heard as the pair stewed over their thoughts.

“So… what do you want to do?” Shiro finally asked.

“I need some time to think “ Keith sighed, standing up and gesturing Shiro to follow him. 

There was a look of sadness on Shiro's face as he followed Keith into the lounge room. The room slightly trashed from his garlic induced rage, thankfully nothing needed replacing or was severely damaged. Keith didn't seem too worried as he sat on the couch, patting the space next to him.

“Are you going to to sit or just stand there?” Keith asked.

Shiro was taken back by the question. “You said you needed time to think.”

“Yeah, so? Can't I think about it while watching a movie together? The fact you didn't kill me in a frenzy means you don't intend to eat me, plus you still haven't watched a full horror movie and I plan to rectify that.”

After a brief pause in confusion, a laugh bubbled up. “You're unbelievable.” Shiro said with a huff, as he finally took his spot on the couch.

There was still a slight tension in the air as Keith restarted the movie, but it soon melted away the more the men became engrossed in the film. Shiro couldn't help but flinch when Keith leaned over and rested his head on Shiro's arm, looking relaxed and content.

Shiro wasn't sure what awaited him after the movie finished, but he wrapped his arm around Keith's frame and chose to savour the moment while it lasted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And as we all know, pretty goth boy loves his handsome leech too much to break up~
> 
> I was hoping to be a lame idiot and get this done on my birthday, but was late by 4 days RIP but I've been dying to write this particular part for a long time and finally done it!
> 
> Follow me on  
> Tumblr - @Octorabbit  
> Twitter - @Octo_Rabbit  
> Instagram - @Octo_rabbit


	10. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg an actual drabble!  
> Sorry for the short chapter, I've been hit hard with the flu but hope you enjoy some light angst

There was something haunting about creeping through these ancient halls, as if unseen eyes were watching, judging, like being thrown back to dark times of his past he'd rather keep buried.

He was no longer that monster.

He never wants to go back to being that monster.

The halls were quiet and cold, sending a shiver down Shiro's spine as it bit into his sweat soaked skin as he trudged forward, resisting the urge to let the rush of adrenaline and high emotions overwhelm him to be rash and careless or be consumed by the intense pain he was in.

‘Just follow the scent of human blood’ played in his head like a mantra.

Easier said than done. The castle has been housing vampires for centuries, and while nothing has changed with the layout, that also means centuries worth of blood still lingered. Still he powered through the castle, he had to find Keith and get him far away from here as possible.

A scream resonated through the walls, Shiro's chest tightened as he recognized the voice. He had to move fast.

His pace sped up, the smell of human blood becoming more potent that it made his teeth ache with every step. Soon he was sure he heard the clashing of metal on metal and another scream which only heightened his growing panic. The smell was getting stronger, just around the corner.

He let out a grunt as someone ran into him, both hitting the stone floor from the impact. Shiro gritted his teeth and hissed as he restrained himself from crying out in agonizing pain as his left hand clutched his right arm.

“Shiro!” an all too familiar voice gasped breathlessly.

“Keith?” he gritted out as another wave of pain wracked his body. “H-how did you-”

“No time to explain, we gotta move before they-...w-what happened to your arm?” The fear was evident in Keith's voice, which was befitting for the sight he was confronted with.

Shiro couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. “Just a little vampyric roughhousing.”

Keith wasted no time to sling Shiro's only arm around him to pull him up and hobble along hopefully to freedom. It was then that Shiro noticed Keith was brandishing a bloodied sword in his free hand.

“Where did you get that blade?”

“I grabbed it when one of the vampires was trying to use me as a feeder. Didn't expect me to put up a fight so I grabbed it while he was distracted.” Keith huffed, clearly worse for wear from being fed on, and adrenaline was the only thing keeping his exhausted and beaten body going.

Shiro couldn't stop a laugh of disbelief slip through his cracked lips. “You really are a dangerous one.”

“Your arm.” Keith quickly changed the subject, looking at the bloodied stump with a lack of subtlety. “You'll heal right? It'll grow back?”

Shiro didn't know how to answer that question, especially with Keith as rattled and on edge as he is.

“Take a right at the end of the hall, there should be a window. I’ll be able to jump from here and get us both to safety.”

“Shiro…”

“Don't worry, I'll get us out of here or die making sure you do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have a couple ideas on what I want the next chapter to be so let me know which you'd prefer between  
> \- Lighthearted party shenanigans  
> \- Shiro backstory  
> \- More angst
> 
> Follow me on  
> Tumblr - @Octorabbit  
> Twitter - @Octo_Rabbit  
> Instagram - @Octo_rabbit


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